Paul Nicorvo was a friend of mine. A deeply dedicated Christian who went to be with the Lord on July 29th. He was an inspiration as he struggled with brain cancer. His brother Richard wrote this about Paul which is inspiring to me.
In Memory of Paul Nicorvo
Paul was born in Syracuse, New York on October 22, 1945. He was the middle brother of three boys and a younger sister. It was a difficult position to hold but he was always up for the challenge.
Paul grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey, where he played football, baseball, weight lifting, and ice hockey but really loved being in the woods. He always seemed to have the Call of the Wild and before reaching high school had captured one of every animal in Central Jersey; dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, frogs, even a woodpecker! He also caught a squirrel bare handed, and with all this, he still found time to manage several aquariums throughout the house.
Paul also liked to build. He started with Lincoln logs and then on to an erector set. He set up elaborate lay outs of Lionel Trains. He could repair a 12 horsepower Sears sit down mower just about as many times as older brother Tony could crash it!
During the summers, in between flying model airplanes and defeating all challengers in chess, you could even find him baking a cake from scratch; his biggest challenge was keeping his brothers from sabotaging it. Paul was kind of a Renaissance Man, he could pretty well do anything he tried.
Paul went on to College and graduated from Belmont Abbey, a Jesuit college, in Belmont, N.C. Paul once criticized a Jesuit Brother for typing so slow not realizing it was the Abbot and he was translating from Greek to Latin! Paul earned his degree and headed off to New York City to work for a Wall Street brokerage firm. He advanced quickly and became an Operations Manager working in the Twin Towers. He later had his own consulting company and played a major role in the AT&T divestiture.
Financial success did not hold his interest however, and he yielded to a heartfelt God calling. He left the Big Apple for Columbia Biblical Seminary in South Carolina where he received his Masters Degree in Intercultural Studies and then moved to California. Paul visited China doing missionary work for which he had a calling. He also made missionary trips to India where he rode an elephant and contemplated bringing it back to Green Valley J He worked for several different Christian organizations one of which he co-founded called TLC.
Paul enjoyed his log home in Green Valley and his quiet hikes among the Ponderosa Pines, reminding him of his earlier years growing up in New Jersey. It was on one of those hikes, after being rescued, that he learned he had a terminal brain tumor. For the next 19 months he fought the battle, boldly and courageously, with unwavering faith.
We wrestle our crowns from the giants we conquer and Paul faithfully conquered his giant. Cancer may have affected his mind, but he never let it touch his heart; that was reserved for God alone. Paul was joined with the Lord on July 31st, 2009.
(Paul we will miss you !! Bro Dan)
